


Dawn

by kiite



Series: Blackbirds and Beeforce [3]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V
Genre: Angst, M/M, a very minor cameo from a very minor 5ds character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-05
Updated: 2018-03-05
Packaged: 2019-03-27 06:34:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13875192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiite/pseuds/kiite
Summary: Crow and Shinji have a fight.





	Dawn

“That’s it. I’m leaving.”

Crow brushed past Shinji as he went to grab his helmet off the table. He strapped it on as he moved towards the entryway.

“Really, Crow? You’re just gonna leave it like that? Run away from the issue instead of trying to fucking work it out?” Shinji was nearly shouting at this point. Crow still wouldn’t look at him.

“I can’t talk to you when you’re like this. I need to go out for a little bit. Don’t follow me.” Crow moved to where he knew the kids were watching them from around the corner. He bent down and pulled them all into a hug.

“I’m really sorry about this. I’ll be back soon, I promise.” He hugged them tightly, and kissed them all on the cheeks. His steps were heavy as he made his way to the front door, grabbing the doorknob and turning. Before he stepped out, he turned back to give a final glance at Shinji, who was still staring at him heatedly.

“We both just need some time to calm down, Shinji. We’ll talk more when I get back. See you.” With that, Crow stepped out and shut the door behind him; he didn’t slam it—he never slammed the door anymore—but there was an air of finality about it. Shinji just stood there, staring at the door.

Shinji found that he had had to repress the instinct to tell Crow he loved him, as they always did to each other when one of them went out. The parting left him feeling empty; all the anger he had felt moments ago was gone, leaving only sadness and guilt. He took a seat at the kitchen table and put his head in his hands, staying like that for several minutes.

“Dad… is Papa coming back?” The small voice broke Shinji out of his trance. He looked down at Amanda, who was clutching the hem of his shirt and looking up at him. As the oldest of the three, Amanda always did her best to appear strong and brave; now she looked like she was moments away from crying. Frank and Tanner weren’t faring much better, with the latter already crying quietly. Shinji got out of his chair and kneeled in front of them like Crow had earlier. He put a hand on Amanda’s shoulder.

“Of course he’s coming back, sweetie. He just needed to be alone for a bit.” Amanda nodded and wrapped her arms around Shinji’s neck, putting her face on his shoulder. Shinji hugged her back, stroking her hair gently. Eventually, she released her grip on him and stepped back, looking a little better.

This time, Frank was the one who spoke up. “Are you and Papa gonna get a divorce?” He was looking down at his hands as he fiddled with the hem of his own shirt. Shinji moved over to him and took Frank’s small hands in his own. Frank finally looked up at him and Shinji gave him a genuine smile.

“‘Course not, kid. Me and your Papa disagree on a lot of things, but our love for each other and you guys is much stronger. We’re not going anywhere, don’t worry.” Frank still looked nervous, but he nodded as well and tried to smile. Tanner has also stopped crying, and was hugging Shinji from the side.

“Alright kids, time for bed. You know Papa wouldn’t want you to stay up past your bedtime waiting for him.” The kids tried to protest, but eventually Shinji was able to usher them into bed. He tucked them all in and gave each one a kiss, promising to make it up to them tomorrow for fighting.

Once the kids were in bed, Shinji returned to his place at the kitchen table. He wanted to be there when Crow came home so he could apologize for how he acted.

This was not the first time Crow had gone off for a late night drive. Whenever he was overly stressed or felt himself getting too angry, he would step back and on to his D-Wheel. Shinji figured it was an understandable method of stress relief for a professional turbo duelist, but he still wished he could be there to comfort Crow when he felt that way. This time, though, he was the reason for Crow’s distress, and that fact was tearing him up inside.

Yuusei had told him that one time near the beginning of the WRGP, Crow had been so upset that he had driven off and didn’t come back. Everything had turned out alright, as they had found him in the morning, coaching Aki by the pier. That was the only time Crow had not come back from one of his drives, so Shinji was pretty certain that Crow would return some time during the night. He just had to wait.

Shinji watched as the moon slowly moved through the sky, a reminder of the passage of time. It had been around eleven when Crow had left; now it was two in the morning, and Shinji was having trouble keeping his eyes open. He did his best to fight it, but inevitably Shinji fell asleep at the table, head resting on his crossed arms.

* * *

 

Shinji’s head shot up from the table as the sound of the door echoed from the entryway. He was on his feet instantly, still standing next to the table. After a few moments, Crow appeared in the doorframe, helmet under his arm.

There were many things Shinji wanted to say in that moment. He opened his mouth, fully prepared to apologize and ask for forgiveness, but nothing came out. He stood there, desperately trying to speak, but unable. Crow just smiled his usual smile and crossed the room over to Shinji.

“It’s ok, honey. You don’t have to say anything; I understand. We were both being huge idiots, as usual.” Crow wrapped his arms around Shinji, holding him in a tight embrace. Shinji reciprocated the hug, never wanting to let go. After a few minutes of silent hugging, Crow pulled away, looking Shinji in the eyes with a gentle expression.

“Gonna give your husband a make-up kiss?” Crow asked, still smirking. He closed his eyes and leaned forward. Shinji felt his heart flutter as he remembered just how much he loved his stubborn, adorable, amazing husband, as he leaned in to give him the kiss he deserved.

* * *

 

A loud banging noise awoke Shinji from his spot at the table. He jerked upwards, pulled from his dream by the harsh sound. Sunlight streamed in from the windows, falling in square patterns on the floor. A glance at the clock told Shinji that it was 7 in the morning. Shinji cursed himself for falling asleep.

The knocking on the front door was persistent, and Shinji’s instinct was to stop it before it woke the kids up. He knew he must look like a mess from worry and sleeping at the table, but he didn’t have time to remedy that issue. Still groggy from sleep, he shuffled into the entryway and opened the door.

His visitor seemed surprised by the door being opened. The man had been holding up his hand to knock again, but quickly lowered it when Shinji appeared. Shinji was immediately apprehensive at the sight of the man; he was dressed fully in a security outfit, complete with helmet. “Are you Shinji Weber?” he asked politely.

Shinji felt much more awake than he had been moments ago. “That’s me.” he answered, sounding more defensive than he than he intended to. The man removed his helmet, holding it behind his back. His dark blue hair bounced as it regained its shape. Shinji had never seen the man before, but a cursory glance at his badge revealed the officer’s name to be Kazama.

“It is my unfortunate duty to inform you that last night, Mr. Crow Hogan was struck by a vehicle while on the road. Because of his remote location on a duel track, he was not discovered until this morning. By the time he was found, Mr. Hogan had already died from his wounds.” For the first time since he started speaking, the man lowered his reddish-brown eyes and bowed his head slightly. “I’m very sorry for your loss.”

Shinji couldn’t move, couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe. Crow was… dead? How could that happen? Crow was a professional turbo duelist, well practiced when it came to evading collisions and performing stunts. How could someone just… hit him?

The officer was still speaking to him, but Shinji could process anything the man was saying. He just nodded numbly, gave his address and phone number, and closed the door after the officer had left. The man had given him the address of where the body could be found. The slip of paper felt like a knife in Shinji’s hand.

He sat down in the chair at the table, staring down at the wood grain. How could this have happened? How could his husband, the love of his life, be gone? Shinji couldn’t even cry, or yell; he just stared down at the table, at the piece of paper telling him where to find his husband’s corpse. The only thing he could think of was Crow’s final words to him, a promise that would never be fulfilled—“See you.”

* * *

 

What Shinji would never know was Crow’s true final words to him, words that he couldn’t have possibly heard. A quiet phrase muttered outside the door of their home, by one who wasn’t able to repress the urge to say their typical farewell.

“I love you, Shinji.”


End file.
